


Fast Away The Old Year Passes

by lilywafiq



Series: 12 Days of Slibbs [3]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Mistletoe, Office Party, Slibbs Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-18 07:50:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21940723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilywafiq/pseuds/lilywafiq
Summary: Jack convinces Gibbs to go to the office Christmas Party
Relationships: Jethro Gibbs/Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane
Series: 12 Days of Slibbs [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1563154
Comments: 4
Kudos: 71
Collections: 12 Days of Slibbs





	Fast Away The Old Year Passes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Katiegirl901](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katiegirl901/gifts).



> This is written for Katiegirl901 as part of this year's Slibbs Secret Santa. I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> I used the image given to me as a prompt as well as the written prompt, and I paraphrased the quote given. They were all too good not to use!
> 
> I'm also being sneaky and using this as days 3, 4 and 6 of the 12 Days of Slibbs. I haven't had as much time or motivation to write as I would have liked this month. 0/10 would not recommend working in retail at Christmas time.
> 
> Lastly, Merry Christmas to all of you! It's been a pleasure getting into the Slibbs fandom this year. Thank you for reading and interacting with all my stories, it's such a joy to be able to share the joy of these two wonderful characters and I can't wait to see what we all come up with next!

He could always tell when she was watching him. Perhaps it was his years on military training, maybe his years of having to rely on his instincts. Or maybe he was just particularly attuned to her presence. Jack liked to think it was the latter. So when he looked up from his desk and his eyes met hers, she wasn’t surprised. She smiled down at him from her spot on the mezzanine overlooking the bullpen, and crooked her head at him before turning on her heel and heading back to her office. She didn’t have to wait long before he was there, striding in like he owned the place, and closing the door behind him.

Jack sank onto her couch, crossing one leg over the other, and looked at him.

“Jack?”

“Gibbs.”

“What d'ya need?”

“I’ve heard you’re not coming to the office Christmas party.”

Jack watched as Gibbs huffed in frustration, and fixed her with a frown. “Why is that a problem?”

“This is the third Christmas since I met you, and you’ve skipped the party every year. Not this year.”

Gibbs sighed, and pulled up a chair, sitting opposite Jack. It was not lost on her the way his eyes lingered on her legs before his gaze was pulled back to her face. “Jack, I’m not a party sorta guy.”

Jack uncrossed her legs and leant forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “Gibbs, these are your coworkers and friends. A lot of them are the closest thing you have to family. They might not expect you to show, but I guarantee every one of them is hoping you will.”

“Oh, so this is about them, is it?” Gibbs sounded unconvinced. “Not just you wanting me there?”

Jack smiled slyly. “It might be a little selfish on my part, but I promise it’s mostly for the team. But if there happens to be mistletoe… who am I to complain?”

Gibbs chuckled, and Jack laughed along with him. The last year had brought many difficulties for the both of them, but one thing Jack didn’t mind was how much closer they’d become since last year’s Christmas. And who knows? Maybe the third time’s the charm and Gibbs would finally kiss her properly this year. That would certainly be the best present.

“How about a compromise?” Jack said. “Just make an appearance, you don’t have to stay all night. Just be there long enough to wish every one a Merry Christmas, have one drink, and then you can go home to your boat.”

“You make it sound so enticing.”

“I try.” 

Jack could see Gibbs having a mental debate with himself, no doubt trying to say no, but eventually he gave a deep sigh and rolled his eyes.

“Okay, fine. One drink. That’s all you’re getting.”

Jack smiled triumphantly. “I’ll treasure that one drink til I die.”

“Don’t push it,” Gibbs said as he got up. “One drink,” he said again as he opened Jack’s office door and disappeared.

Jack grinned to herself. What a Christmas miracle.

Why did he agree to this? This was a stupid idea. He didn’t do parties, he hated them, he’d much rather be at home in his basement, but instead he was at the office a week before Christmas for the annual NCIS office party. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d come to one of these parties. It might have been while Jenny was director.

But then Jack had blown into his life, and with that smile of hers she could make him do anything. Including attending the office Christmas party. Damn her.

There was a small part of him though, that was excited to spend more time with her in a social situation. And by ‘small part’ he really meant most of him. He loved seeing her outside of work, seeing her with metaphorical hair down, getting to loosen up and enjoy herself. 

Mostly he just loved her. And that was scary.

Gibbs made his way to Ducky’s office, an interesting place to hold a party, but he couldn’t deny there was a lot of space, and Ducky had been so excited to tell him that he was hosting the office party. As he got closer, he could hear the noise; muffled music, rowdy voices, a general air of enjoyment. The party was spilling out into the corridor, and Gibbs had to push past various NCIS agents and personnel to make it into the main party where he was greeted by a bustling room full of people. 

“Ah, Jethro! So glad you could make it!” Ducky was the first to see him, and Gibbs found himself with a drink pressed into his hand by Torres a moment later.

“Merry Christmas, boss!” That was McGee, happily meandering past on his way to the snacks.

“You came!” Sweet Ellie was next, giving him a brief but enthusiastic hug. 

But the one person he wanted to see most was no where to be seen.

Ducky noticed. Of course he did. 

“Are you looking for Agent Sloane?” he asked.

Gibbs tried to play it cool. “Just lookin’.”

“She had to step out for a moment,” Ducky continued, not buying Gibbs’ act for a second. “She said she’d be back soon. Now tell me about this fascinating case Ellie mentioned…”

Gibbs let Ducky draw him into a conversation, but he felt the moment she walked into the room. It was like he had a Jack radar, and he turned his head to find her, and had to blink a few times to fully comprehend what he was seeing.

She spotted him, gave him a big smile, and made her way over to him.

“Merry Christmas, Cowboy.”

Gibbs was still staring at her jumper. “That’s, uh, that’s quite a look.”

Jack chuckled. “This is my ugliest and favourite Christmas sweater.” She did a twirl for him, and the baubles that were hanging from the tinsel adorning the sweater made her sound like a Christmas tree when you got too close. 

“Where did you even get that?”

Gibbs didn’t notice when Ducky excused himself, too caught up in Jack - and her sweater’s - presence.

“Thrift stores always have the best Christmas merchandise,” Jack replied. “I’ve had this for years.”

“It’s certainly… festive.”

Jack reached out and took Gibbs’ drink from his hand and had a sip before giving it back. He raised an eyebrow.

“I’m only here for one drink, Jack. If you drink it I’ll be leaving sooner.”

Jack just fixed him with a mischievous grin. “Maybe that’s what I want.”

“You don’t want me here? Jack, you’re the one who told me to come.”

Jack leant in close, her lips ghosting over Gibbs’ ear.

“Maybe it was selfish on my part. And maybe it’s because I wanted you here so I could tell you I’m not wearing anything underneath this sweater.”

Gibbs’ mouth went dry and he had to take a gulp of his bourbon to disguise his surprise.

“I’m done waiting for you to make the first move, Gibbs. It’s Christmas, we’re coming up to a new year, I don’t want to keep dancing around this. We’re either in or out.”

Jack pulled away, and smiled beautifully at Gibbs. “I’m gonna head to my office. The next move is yours.” She grabbed Gibbs’ hand and took another swig of his drink, this time without taking the glass from him. Her hands were warm against his, and Gibbs could feel a slight tremor in them. Nerves, perhaps? And then she was gone, heading out the door.

There was no question of what to do next. Gibbs downed the last of his drink, and left the glass on Ducky’s desk, before making his way out of the office too. No one noticed him go, every one was having their own fun, and he paused for a brief moment to cast an eye over his team. They were huddled in a corner, looking lost in their own world. Their smiles and laughter warmed him, and he silently wished them a merry Christmas before heading back into the main part of the building and up to Jack’s office.

It was dark as he wandered through the halls of NCIS, and when he got to the corridor leading to Jack’s office he could see the soft glow of light seeping out from underneath her door. He didn’t knock before he entered, and he closed the door gently behind him.

Jack was on the couch, her shoes kicked to the side, her feet tucked under her thighs. She looked up at him as he entered, hopeful but with a hint of worry.

“Yes?” she asked.

“How much have you had to drink tonight?” Gibbs asked in reply.

Jack frowned slightly. “Only what I had of yours.”

“Jack, I’m not an easy person—”

“Oh, save it,” Jack interrupted, getting to her feet and closing the gap between them. “I’m an adult, you’re an adult. We’ve both had shit happen over the years, but that doesn’t mean we don’t deserve some happiness now. You either want me or you don’t, Gibbs, which is it?”

Gibbs’ gaze travelled from her determined face, to the ridiculous sweater that almost undermined the seriousness of the moment, before he looked back at her face. “God, even in that sweater I want you.”

Jack’s expression softened, and her eyes crinkled as she laughed. “What are you waiting for then?”

Good question. Gibbs caught her around the waist and pulled her to him, intent on kissing her. But Jack suddenly pulled away.

“Wait!”

“What?”

Jack swiped something off her desk and held it above their heads.

“Seriously?” Gibbs asked. “You want our first kiss to be a mistletoe kiss?”

“I do,” Jack replied seriously, and the significance wasn’t lost on Gibbs. 

Looking into her feisty brown eyes, Gibbs knew that he wouldn’t be able to deny her anything. He closed the gap, pressing his lips to hers, and felt her melt against him. When both of her hands came to rest on his waist he knew she’d dropped the mistletoe, but it didn’t matter. This was a kiss for the ages, as they say.

Jack hadn’t necessarily intended to push Gibbs to this when he’d first arrived at the party, but she’d seen the way he’d looked at her, even with the sweater, and she’d thrown caution to the wind. She couldn’t say she was disappointed with the outcome. Her sweater was long gone, cast into the corner of her office somewhere, and she’d have to hang it away carefully when she got a chance, but right now, with Gibbs pressing her into the couch, she couldn’t care less about the sweater.

Perhaps it was a bit cliche to have sex with your coworker in the office while the Christmas party was happening, but really, Jack had done many cliched things in her life and she didn’t regret any of them. And she certainly wouldn’t be regretting this.

Last Christmas had been a beginning for them, and this Christmas was a new chapter, one which Jack hoped would continue for many Christmases to come. 

She couldn’t wait to show him the rest of her sweater collection.

**Author's Note:**

> [Jack's sweater](https://spacecowboybriony.tumblr.com/post/189849991023/fast-away-the-old-year-passes-lilywafiq-ncis)
> 
> [find me on tumblr](http://spacecowboybriony.tumblr.com)


End file.
